Gifted Many Few:The FBI already has surveillance devices in most homes. Computers cell phones, smart TVs. All of them pump information back to them. The FBI knows about you before you know the FBI knows about you.

This story isn't accurate or this women is an idiot. I got this call also. It was a robo call that referenced crime problems in the neighborhood and FBI statistics. In then offered to have a security system installed in my home for free and all I had to do was allow them to put a sign in my yard. At no point did the call say the FBI wanted to put the security system in.

Aegius:This story isn't accurate or this women is an idiot. I got this call also. It was a robo call that referenced crime problems in the neighborhood and FBI statistics. In then offered to have a security system installed in my home for free and all I had to do was allow them to put a sign in my yard. At no point did the call say the FBI wanted to put the security system in.

Door-to-door salesmen came through our neighborhood and even if you said no to the security system, they still asked if they could put a sign in your yard. I couldn't figure out what that was about, but I always reject solicitations from door-to-door as they are never legit so I did not let them put a sign in my yard.

So what is the angle? Free security system, but only if you sign up for an expensive service contract?

Gifted Many Few:The FBI already has surveillance devices in most homes. Computers cell phones, smart TVs. All of them pump information back to them. The FBI knows about you before you know the FBI knows about you.

iheartscotch:Yeaaaahhh, if the FBI wants to put stuff in your house; they wouldn't call you first.

Sure they do, only they ask if you know Achmed. Then a couple days later your neighbor ask if your new cable service is worth the money. I wasn't sure what she meant since I hadn't changed service, but then I was like 'You guys, you sneaky sneaky guys.'

I had a door to door security guy come around a couple of months ago. Standing there at the front door, about 30 seconds into his spiel, I said:"Dude...look to your left and smile. My wife is watching you on a monitor in the living room. The motion detection triggered as you walked up the driveway. That is one of several. "

squibbits:Gifted Many Few: The FBI already has surveillance devices in most homes. Computers cell phones, smart TVs. All of them pump information back to them. The FBI knows about you before you know the FBI knows about you.

Ah, yes, the new hotness in illegal telemarketing from Telephone Management Corporation of Portland, Oregon comes to light.

TMC, of note, is responsible for almost all illegal telemarketing calls in the US--not just the "Tom from Home Security"/"Free Home Security" scam, but the "Rachel from Cardmember Services" scam and almost all other robocall telemarketing scams in the US. The main reason how they've gotten away with this is that they set up lots of telecom shell companies, including not only bogus CLECs in a number of states but international call centers injecting calls into the US call system via SPITting--SIP VoIP spam. (The main one they have tended to use for the "Home Security" and recent "Rachel" calls is in Belize, in fact.)

There are a lot of folks (myself included, and a few state A/G offices included) who've been researching these little chucklefarks for a long time--and what has been found is not only an operation that has gone on since the late 1990s but one in which there is a strong possibility of involvement by organised crime.

If you want to see what all has been collected so far, here's all the info you need to know about the shiatstains behind this scam courtesy of the anti-telemarketing research community. (There's actually supposedly a class-action lawsuit in progress against the perpetrators--I'm actually interested in joining this just in the hope it bankrupts TMC and provides court discovery info that would be useful for KY's A/G to file felony charges against the perps and get Interpol cooperation in shutting down the international tentacles of the operation. At least some states are starting to shut down the faux-CLEC tentacles, which is more progress than we've had in a while.)

nytmare:Aegius: This story isn't accurate or this women is an idiot. I got this call also. It was a robo call that referenced crime problems in the neighborhood and FBI statistics. In then offered to have a security system installed in my home for free and all I had to do was allow them to put a sign in my yard. At no point did the call say the FBI wanted to put the security system in.

Door-to-door salesmen came through our neighborhood and even if you said no to the security system, they still asked if they could put a sign in your yard. I couldn't figure out what that was about, but I always reject solicitations from door-to-door as they are never legit so I did not let them put a sign in my yard.

So what is the angle? Free security system, but only if you sign up for an expensive service contract?

Actually, it appears to be one of at least three separate phishing scams operated by a Portland, Oregon company that has been in hot water with both Federal and state regulators since 1995 (they also do the "Rachel" scams and other refinancing scams, and also seem to be linked to at least one Medicare-related scam).

Basically, they claim to be offering free products or assistance in reducing costs, etc--and pretty much set the operation up to get personal identifying info of gullible folks, presumably for purposes of identity fraud. (There have been some hints that have turned up that there could well be organised crime involved.)